Writers Guild of America

Stormclouds are parting in Hollywood, as Spencer Morgan wrote in this week's Observer, but the 100-day WGA strike's cost is finally being revealed: $2.5 billion. Not so bad, when compared to previous estimates. The Associated Press reports that the figure includes wages lost by writers and other entertainment industry workers when the strike shut down production. Jack Kyser, chief economist of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., previously pegged the cost of the walkout at $3.2 billion. He said the industry typically represents $54 billion of the Los Angeles County economy.

It was probably the little guys, like limo drivers and production assistants who were the most affected by the strike.  read more »

What are those Gossip Girl writers doing now that they can finally return to work? Gossiping, of course! Now that the Writers Guild strike is finally over (rejoice!), and scribes are returning to their crummy offices and barely-there story lines, they're feeling "an emotion akin to what they remembered experiencing on their first day of high school," according to the New York Times' Brooks Barnes. On the Warner Brothers lot, Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz, the co-creators of Gossip Girl, likened reopening their offices to "starting up a summer camp after the winter."  read more »

Hooray! Writers return to the grindstone today. Official letter from the WGA presidents after the jump.  read more »

Some fashion week models are wearing T-shirts backstage that tout Angelina Jolie's Global Action for Children to attract attention to the cause as they get their pre-show hair and makeup done. [WWD]

Amy Winehouse was denied a US visa to attend the Grammy Awards, but she may appear via satellite. [Us]  read more »

Sweet relief! The Writers Guild of America strike may be ending by sun-up Monday morning. Today, studio moguls and guild leaders are expected to finalize a three-year contract and send it for their writers' review on Saturday before more meetings. The guild board could approve the contract Sunday and encourage writers to return to work the next day, according to The Los Angeles Times.  read more »

Several reports claim that an end to the four-month long Writers Guild of America strike is imminent. The New York Times reports that "a tentative agreement" may come "as early as [this] week." But W.G.A. members and leaders are telling striking writers that they might not want to lay down their picket signs just yet.  read more »

Oh, things are shaking up in the writers' talks! Studios and the Writers Guild of America seemed to be finally making progress in their closed-door negotiation sessions, but Phil Alden Robinson, writer and director of Field of Dreams and a member of the governing board of the Writers Guild of America West, has publicly called for a toughened bargaining position, according to today's New York Times. "I've been doing some hard thinking about the D.G.A. deal," Mr. Robinson wrote in the post (read it here). He is also a member of the D.G.A. “It’s my strong conviction that if an unaltered D.G.A. deal were put before our membership for a vote today, it would fail resoundingly,” he wrote.  read more »

The Writers Guild of America showed mercy on Grammy Awards producers by approving an interim agreement that would allow striking scribes to write a script for the ceremony, which takes place on Feb. 10. Last week, the W.G.A. announced that they would not picket the awards show, which would allow the stars to strut the red carpet in peace. Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America West, acknowledged the music unions in a statement Monday and added, “Professional musicians face many of the same issues that we do concerning fair compensation for the use of their work in new media,” according to the New York Times.

The Writers Guild of America decided not to picket the Grammy Awards telecast, organizers announced yesterday. “This really creates a comfortable environment for everybody to come,” said Neil Portnow, chief executive of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Though it is unclear whether writers guild members will be able to write for the Feb. 10 ceremony, Mr. Portnow said, “we’ve got time” until the program and added that, “with all due respect to the writers, we’re really about the music.”  read more »

As noted yesterday, the Directors Guild of America announced an agreement with studios on a new deal, turning the heat up on the striking writers to negotiate terms. The three-year DGA deal addressed some of the writers' key concerns, including advances in payment for programming on the Internet.  read more »

The Directors Guild of America is on the brink of an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which puts the pressure on striking TV and movie writers and the studios to settle their spat. DGA leaders are entering the sixth day of negotiations today to replace a contract that expires June 30. The writers' strike is in its 11th week.  read more »

After ABC started cutting writer deals on Friday, Warner Bros. TV, CBS Paramount Network TV, Universal Media Studios and 20th Century Fox have fallen in line, slashing writers and producers from their rosters, according to Variety.  read more »

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Atonement were the big winners at the 65th Annual Golden Globes awards. Period drama Atonement, the on-screen adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel, won best drama. Sweeney Todd took home the best comedy or musical award and its star, Johnny Depp, received the best actor in a musical or comedy Globe.

But there were no dithering acceptance speeches or cheesy one-liners presented by hosts. Because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was unable to make a deal with the Writers Guild of America, which would have allowed the Globes to be televised without a picket line, the usual awards show glitz (stars paraded down the red carpet and industry parties galore before and after the champagne dinner) was replaced by a news conference. Award winners were read by television entertainment journalists from the shows The Insider, CNN's Showbiz Tonight, E!, Extra, Inside Edition and Entertainment Tonight. HFPA president Jorge Camara presented the final award of the night.

Full list of winners after the jump.

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The studios have started bringing out the big guns, apparently. We're not just talking about hair and make-up this time. "What an incredible list of petty, mean-spirited and just spiteful behavior the Hollywood CEOs are compiling for themselves," writes Nikki Finke on Deadline Hollywood Daily. "I've been confirming episode after episode of the AMPTP's giant multimedia members retaliating in every way possible against anyone in Hollywood helping the WGA's side in this strike dragging on and on."  read more »

According to Variety, the latest front in Hollywood's labor war is over hair, makeup and limos. Insiders told the trade paper that ABC and ABC Studios will not pick up the tab for its talent attending the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Jan. 27, set to air on TNT and TBS. In less contentious times, it's industry tradition that networks and studios split the costs of getting talent ready for the red carpet at awards shows.  read more »

Harvey Weinstein confirmed rumors that his independent film company, The Weinstein Company, negotiated an interim agreement with striking writers. Mr. Weinstein told The New York Times that his New York-based company had come to terms with the Writers Guild of America in a deal similar to the one reached last week by United Artists, the first independent movie company to reach an interim contract with the writers, who have been on strike since Nov. 5.  read more »

Now that the Golden Globes has flopped and the Academy Awards are in jeopardy, the Screen Actors Guild and Film Independent Spirit awards shows have a chance to shine this year. Both shows—the proverbial bridesmaids—have been granted waivers from the Writers Guild of America, so the stars are expected to show up in their designer finest. What else are they going to do with those red carpet gems they've been hording all year?  read more »

After the Hollywood Foreign Press Association officially announced the cancellation of the 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards telecast yesterday, studios and television channels began cancelling their own parties that usually take place after the champagne dinner at the Beverly Hilton. HBO, Universal and InStyle/Warner Bros. were nixing their plans last night, according to Nikke Finke at Deadline Hollywood Daily.  read more »

History has shown that a political movement is merely an idea until it finds a badge, a recognizable symbol of solidarity in strife. Women’s Lib had burning braziers; Environmentalists have the color green; the French Revolution is known for its guillotine; and Socialism waves a red flag. The Writers Guild Strike, now in its third month, has its own emblème, too—the strike beard.

But unlike with most political movements, the act of relinquishing a strike beard has also taken on a kind of symbolism. Just ask Diane Wood, the 26-year-old daughter of Adrian Wood, who owns Paul Molé, an old-school Upper East Side barbershop that’s been shaving faces since 1913. After all, Ms. Wood shaved David Letterman’s beard yesterday, less than a week after the late-night talk show host returned to the air, having recently reached an agreement with the W.G.A.  read more »

The Writers Guild of America and Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner's United Artists Corporation are expected to make an announcement today about an interim agreement that would allow feature film writers to go back to work for the studio. As Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily reports, "This is big.  read more »

NBC executives have emerged from their Sunday night sweat-lodge, in which an answer was sought as to how they might telecast the Golden Globe awards without brining an angry storm of controversy upon their tribe.  read more »

The Directors Guild of America has begun informal contract talks with producers, raising stakes in the WGA strike. Sources said it appears the informal talks could last well into next week. But once the informal phase is over, formal negotiations will start almost immediately and an official announcement will be made. New-media residuals -- or how writers should be compensated when their work is reused over the Internet or mobile platforms -- represent the central issue in the WGA's showdown with studios.  read more »

Mayor Bloomberg welcomed Late Show host David Letterman back to the air after his two-month hiatus by presenting a key to the city to Mr. Letterman's latest fashion choice—the strike beard. Both Mr. Letterman and Conan O’Brien let out their inner mountainman as a sign of solidarity with the writers. While Jay Leno gets shunned by the Writers Guild of America for coming back on air with his own written monologues, Mr. Letterman is back—with his writers—after reaching a deal with the WGA to let them work. Mr. Bloomberg wanted to honor Mr. Letterman's efforts.  read more »

Jay Leno delivered his second monologue last night, one that he wrote himself. He could lose his guild membership or face a fine from the Writers Guild of America if he keeps writing his own late-night punchlines. The WGA lambasted Mr. Leno yesterday for delivering his monologue, saying it violated guild rules during the strike. NBC, which airs the Tonight Show, quickly fired back, arguing that "the WGA agreement permits Jay Leno to write his own monologue for `The Tonight Show,'" according to an NBC statement.  read more »

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association had hoped last-minute negotiations with the Writers Guild of America would allow the Golden Globes show to go on. But the guild announced yesterday afternoon that striking writers still intend to picket along the red carpet.  read more »

"You know what I'm doing? I'm doing what I did the day I started," said Jay Leno last night on his first return on air since the Writers Guild of America strike started. "I write jokes and wake my wife up in the middle of the night and say, 'Honey, is this funny?' So if this monologue doesn't work it's my wife's fault...We are not using outside guys. We are following the guild thing... We can write for ourselves..."  read more »

Late-night TV will finally return tonight but it remains the only spot of sunshine in a gloomy forecast for the Writers Guild of America strike. Heading into its third month, there's no sign of a cease-fire any time soon, according to Variety.

Even the recent holiday break saw hostilities break out as the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers announced that its calculation of how much the eight-week strike has cost writers—$151.2 million—has topped the WGA's calculation of the increase it had asked for at the negotiating table.

Meanwhile, the WGA continued to pledge it will picket the Jan. 13 Golden Globes even though NBC and the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. haven't wavered from their plans to go ahead with the event.

"If the Globes is telecast and it is produced by Dick Clark Prods., which is a struck company, we will picket the show," guild strike coordinator Jeff Hermanson said.

The WGA also firmed plans for the February launch of Strike TV, an online channel featuring original video shows and operated by the guild.

Panicked at the prospect of having to confront strikers as they walk up the red carpet, celebrities have sent what Hollywood publicity executives describe as a near-unanimous signal: If striking writers show up at the Golden Globes, the stars will not.

The New York Times reports:  read more »

Now that the strike is in its eighth week, the Writers Guild of America is bringing out the big guns. The union has hired veteran Democratic political consultants Bill Carrick and Kam Kuwata to provide public relations assistance and strategic solutions. Mr. Carrick oversaw the campaign of former Los Angeles mayor James Hahn and the gubernatorial campaign of Treasurer Phil Angelides against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mr. Kuwata worked with Mr. Carrick on the Mr. Hahn race and has long been a top political adviser to Sen. Diane Feinstein, running her 1992 and 1994 campaigns.  read more »

"An ultimatum was put in front of me," Carson Daly told the Los Angeles Times about his decision to bring back his late-night show without writers during the W.G.A. strike. "It was, 'Put a new show on Dec. 3 or 75 people are fired. What's your answer?' " He quickly decided that he couldn't live with the notion of putting loyal staffers out of work. Mr. Daly said he'd heard from a couple of his striking writers, who were "very supportive" of his decision. Asked who at NBC delivered the ultimatum, Daly replied that it was his "immediate bosses" but declined to be more specific.  read more »

In past writers' strikes, there were clear villians. It was a studio head: Walt Disney or Lew Wasserman (of MCA). But today, the writers strike itself (and follow-up clashes) are being fueled not by studios making movies or TV shows, but by the money and power of the corporate "congloms" (The Walt Disney Co., News Corp., Time Warner Inc. and Viacom Inc.) and by their potential stranglehold over future technologies, according to Variety.  read more »

Now we can truly witness how clever Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are on their cable news satire shows. They'll be returning to their daily recordings on Jan. 7. The announcement arrives just days after their network predecessors announced their return to late-night on Jan. 2.

The New York Times reports:  read more »

The late-night talk show hosts are returning. But the stars are not yet ready to come out for them if it means crossing the writers' picket line. Celebrities don't want to be the first to accept a booking on a show and face the wrath of the writers alone.

The New York Times reports:  read more »

Since the Writers Guild of America denied the People's Choice Awards a strike waiver, producers of the Los Angeles ceremony worried if celebrities would show up to the extravaganza. So they nixed their original plan to tape a ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium and instead will offer a series of pre-taped clip packages featuring honorees receiving their awards. Queen Latifah will remain as host but now shoot her segments from a soundstage.

Variety reports:  read more »

With no end to the writers strike in sight, NBC is tapping into its cable sister station USA's hit shows Monk and Psych to fill out next year's spring schedule. The two shows run as a two-hour block on USA on Friday nights, are set to return with new episodes on the cable network Jan. 11.  read more »

Continuing to play hardball, the Writers Guild of America turned down waiver requests for both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards. Writers won't be drafting a script and the organizations won't be able to use use clips of movies and past Academy Awards shows.

Broadcasting & Cable reports:

In a letter, WGA West president Patric Verrone said, “We must do everything we can to bring our negotiations to a swift and fair conclusion for the benefit of writers and all those who are being harmed by the companies’ failure to engage in serious negotiations.”

As the Media Mob told us this morning, there were reports of late-night shows possibly returning by Jan. 2. Those rumors have been confirmed by NBC this morning, according to The New York Times.

NBC officially announced today that its two late-night stars, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien, will return to the air on Jan. 2 even if the strike against networks and studios by entertainment writers is not resolved by then.  read more »

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The WGA will make the "legal demand" today to change the dynamic in its stymied contract fight by seeking talks with individual studios rather than through the umbrella Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers bargaining unit, according to Variety.  read more »

And the hits keep coming: The Writers Guild of America filed an unfair labor practices complaint against Hollywood studios in a bid to force them back to the negotiating table with striking writers. Studios spat back that they didn't illegally break off talks.

The Associated Press reports:  read more »

With late-night talk shows hemorrhaging audiences since the beginning of the strike, the big four hosts are becoming impatient and may try to make a comeback by Jan. 7. Nothing's been officially decided, and nobody will comment. But with the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers so broken up, people familiar with the situation said several hosts are nearing the conclusion that it's time to return.

Variety reports:  read more »

The WGA convinced the Directors Guild of America to stay away from the bargaining table with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers while they were on strike. But now they're scheming to belly up after New Year's Day and start a new master contract, according to The New York Times.  read more »

Via Deadline Hollywood Daily:

2007 STRIKERS GUIDE TO LOS ANGELES STUDIOS

CBS RADFORD
Once the "ultimate destination" for the "proletarian struggle," now this "no frills" "bunker" is a "safe bet" for avoiding anyone you've "slept with." "Ample construction dust" and "non-specific anxiety" make visiting the MacDonald's bathroom a "high point" at this "bland", "very casual" locale. "A gem."

DISNEY STUDIOS
When it comes to "waving cardboard" at the shadow of a "frozen, Nazi-loving ghost," the sine quo non is this "stand-by", "folksy" institution. "A slice of Fascism" proclaiming "free air" and "live squirrels," the Disney Imagineers seem to have "worked overtime" in providing "the feeling you are being recorded," but more "for retribution than for pay."  read more »

Panic has set in for Golden Globes producers. They have asked the Writers Guild of America for a waiver to allow writers to pen the Jan. 13 show's script, but few expect it will be granted, according to Variety. Maybe it will actually be an entertaining show without the lame puns and half-baked chuckles, but who will actually cross the picket line and fill up The Beverly Hilton's seats?  read more »

The W.G.A. strike has forced the cancellation of the TV Critics Assication's winter press tour—another indication that the networks are digging in for the long haul, according to Variety.  read more »

The writers' strike enters its sixth week today, and with no end in sight, industry suits are warning that the talks could overhaul long-standing traditions in television. More game shows and reality shenanigans will take over the airwaves, leaving scripted episodes on the shelf until writers return. Pilot season and the yearly "upfront" presentations are also on the chopping block.  read more »

Studio negotiators were stunned when the Writers Guild of America discussed unionizing reality shows and animation during this week's discussions. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers had thought those topics were off the table, according to the Associated Press.

Variety is reporting that the union is now facing the prospect that the studios will grow impatient with the molasses movement of negotiations and make a "take-it-or-leave-it offer" as early as next week.

Variety reports:

Little progress emerged from Thursday's talks, with both sides meeting briefly in the morning, followed by WGA negotiators waiting most of the day for the companies' response in two key new-media areas -- Intenet downloads and jurisdiction.

Neither side issued a statement at the end of the day other than confirming that negotiations will resume in the ayem today for the fourth straight day. But time's starting to run out, partly due to the looming holiday season with Christmas and New Year's Day falling midweek and essentially wiping out any chance for the sides to meet for those two weeks -- should they still be negotiating.

Negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the studios will continue today, after the feuding groups came out of a two-day talk with "substantive" progress made, according to the Associated Press. However, both sides are still arguming about compensation for movies and TV shows streamed online.  read more »

In a meeting yesterday, Jay Leno told his staff he'd continue to pay their salaries through Christmas, Variety reports.

Previously, Mr. Leno had been paying them on a week-by-week basis, which he'll continue to do after the holiday, he reportedly said.  read more »

"It's in the zeitgeist now—we're at a moment in time where people don't how to value things, Michael Lynton, chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, told the Los Angeles Times. "Art and media are a reflection of society. And if you no longer have an internal sense of what the dollar or a tank of gas is worth, it's no surprise that you don't know what content on the Internet is worth either. It goes to the heart of why we're at an impasse with the Writers Guild. If no one has a clear understanding of what entertainment